Deceptively Easy

I showered, dressed and walked out of the bedroom as I could smell breakfast being prepared. My stomach churned in response. If nothing else sex used up a lot of energy.

"Good morning." As I hugged him from behind as he stood at the stove.

"Good morning sleepy head. I was wondering if I was going to have to come in and get you."

"That could have been dangerous. You may not have left again for a while." I said suggestively.

He smiled. "Remember I have to go to work. You don't start work until next week. That will change things you know."

"Yes, I expect so. I'm so anxious to go back. I know there have been problems since I left and Margaret is expecting me to identify them and get them fixed. It will be a challenge but I'm looking forward to it."

"So what do you have planned for today?"

"I'm going back to my apartment, organize my clothes, and change the lock. Even if he leaves the key I'm not going to trust he didn't have another made."

"That makes sense. Better to play it safe. So do you plan on staying there tonight?"

"Yes. I think I should plan on doing that as I'm not sure how much I will have to do. Will you come to see me tonight after work? I would like that."

"I think I can manage that."

"Good. I'll make something for supper. No reason to eat out again as I have stuff in the refrigerator and freezer I should use up."

We walked out to our cars, sharing a quick kiss. I left feeling good. It had been so different this morning. There was no anxiety or confusion regarding what to do as we parted. I felt we had passed a crisis situation and wondered if we would continue to see one another. In fact, I was sure he wanted to, there was no doubt in my mind what I wanted, my short one night stand had become but a passing thought.

I found the door to my apartment unlocked when I tried it. I wasn't pleased to find it that way; but I would have had to go to the complex office to have them let me in if it had been as Elmer hadn't placed it under the door mat. I walked in and it didn't take but a few seconds for me to see he had taken as much as he could, whether it was purchased with his money or not. I wandered from room to room, the major pieces of furniture remained, but little else. The clothing in my closets represented only a small sample of what had originally been mine. The jewelry box was almost empty, only a few pairs of stud earrings remained along with a bracelet. I walked back to the living room and sat down on the sofa and cried. How could he be so cruel? Then I got up angry, the ass wasn't going to do this again. I found the number for a locksmith and made an appointment for late afternoon. He wasn't going to get in again.

I sat down and asked myself in disgust why had I given him the key? I knew the reason. But I had also expected him to be fair. I had been so wrong; even the little cash I had left in the kitty was gone. Now I was glad my most valuable family heirloom jewelry and financial records were in my safe deposit box. I was sure he would have helped himself to that too.

I swallowed hard and set about looking at what was left in the closet. I had a job to go to soon and had to dress appropriately. I laid everything out on the bed and felt despair return. There wasn't a combination of anything left suitable for work. One thing was for certain, I wasn't going to beg Elmer to return my belongings. I was resolute in that, I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction. I decided to go shopping to rebuild my wardrobe, or at least enough to start work with. I was glad I hadn't gotten around to discussing my finances yet with Elmer. Now the substantial savings I had would make a big difference.

I spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon shopping. I elected not to go to the more expensive shops I had gone to on a regular basis when spending Elmer's money. Not only did I not care to spend that much, but I didn't want to be reminded by those who waited on me of Elmer's involvement; even though I knew I had earned it in way. I arrived home and sorted out what needed to be washed and what needed to be dry cleaned. I started the clothes washer and placed the dry cleaning on the dresser to take to the cleaners tomorrow.

The locksmith arrived and in twenty minutes handed me a new set of keys. I thanked him and placed the keys into my purse. I would make duplicate keys and give two to the management office tomorrow. Now I knew the apartment was secure and I felt better about staying alone.

I went to the kitchen, walked to the refrigerator and started to open the door. I hesitated- the creep hadn't taken food too had he? I pulled the door open and looked inside- it looked like everything was there. I opened the freezer door and found everything still in place. I took out what I needed with a sigh of relief. I checked the cabinets for the items I needed for the meal I planned to prepare and placed everything on the counter top. I made a short list of items I still needed and left to do the grocery shopping. Fixings for a nice fresh salad comprised most of the list. I knew Ethan liked a leafy salad as he had ordered one when we had gone out to dinner. I again congratulated myself for having snagged Ethan so easily. It had certainly paid off in ways I had never dreamed of.

By the time Ethan was due to show up I felt better- having accepted my losses as the price I had to pay to get Elmer out of my life. I hadn't worn my baby doll sleepwear yet, though perhaps I should get it out as a special treat tonight. I was sure Ethan would enjoy seeing me in it and probably enjoy taking it off even more. My body warmed as a vision of Ethan appeared as he knelt between my legs. I pushed the thought aside and started to prepare the meal.

In a way preparing dinner was therapeutic in and of itself. Alone in the kitchen I was free to be innovative, creative, in a way my job didn't allow, plus it could show someone who might appreciate my skills what I could do. Elmer had seldom ever complimented me on her culinary skills. I was setting the table when I heard a knock on the door. I peeked out and saw Ethan. I opened the door with a smile and ushered him in.

"That smells delicious." as he handed me a paper bag. I peeked inside. It was a bottle of wine.

"Thanks. I hope you'll like what I made. Are you hungry enough to eat now or do you want to wait awhile?"

"I'm ready. I need to wash my hands first though."

"Down the hallway on the left across from the bedroom."

I took the plate of hot food and set it on the table with the large bowl of mashed potatoes, and cooked broccoli with cheese sauce. The salad was already in a bowl along with a selection of dressings. Ethan entered the kitchen with a smile.

"Shall we have the wine with dinner or would you like to have it later?"

"Let's have it now and later."

"Not a bad idea." as he sat down across from me and opened the bottle with a loud pop.

"So did you get everything done you wanted too?"

"Yes. It didn't take me too long to go through my closet. I went shopping to buy some new clothes for work. Then got the door re-keyed, and went grocery shopping. It filled the day pretty well."

Ethan stopped eating and looked at me. "I thought you told me you had all the clothes you needed for work?"

"I did. Elmer took them all. He cleaned out the closet and took a lot of other things that belonged to me too. Nothing I can't replace easily. He just made sure to inflict as much pain and suffering as he could."

"Becky. I'm so sorry he is putting you through this. What an ass! I'd like to punch his lights out."

"Ethan I've decided it was worth it just to have him out of my life. I don't want to play tit for tat with him. It would just make him feel better and make me miserable. I'm not going to let him set me up that way. So why don't we just forget about him. I'm moving on. I have my old job back, I have a chance to rebuild my wardrobe, and to buy some new things to brighten up my home."

"Becky I have to say I admire your determination not to continue to be his victim. I hope my spending time with you has helped."

"Ethan you know it has. I know you thought I was being self-destructive before. But I was angry and confused. I wanted so much to make Elmer pay for being unfaithful. But when all is said and done I realized I couldn't be that way. I accepted the fact I was going to leave him and he just gave me a reason to do it sooner. So let's not talk about him anymore."

I watched Ethan's face as he took another mouthful. I could tell he was enjoying it. He looked at me with a grin.

"Becky I had no idea you were so talented. This is simply delicious. Did your mother teach you?"

"Actually both my parents did. My father is pretty accomplished in his own right. So I had plenty of opportunity to spend time with them in the kitchen. Thank you for the compliment."

"You deserve it. I could get used to this."

I saw the expression on his face change a little. As if he was surprised he had said it. I felt the comment was telling. I wanted him to like it and I realized it wasn't only the food I wanted him to like. Then another thought came rushing in- Was this too good to be true? Was I really on the rebound and any man that paid attention to me was what I needed to cope? Maybe I shouldn't completely trust my feelings.

"Becky I'll help with dishes."

I laughed. "Ok. The dishwasher is right next to the stove."

He looked at me with a big grin. "It's the thought that counts."

I couldn't argue. He was right. He had appreciated the meal and he wanted to be helpful. I figured that meant he appreciated me. Again the thought came into my mind- Could this really be true, or was I reading too much into this? All I really wanted from him at first was for him to lay me and make me feel good and call it a night.

"Becky I think it's the least I can do. You made the meal, set the table, and proved to be good company. I think I can handle clearing the table and getting the dishes into the dishwasher while you sit down and relax."

I watched him move about the kitchen. I almost felt he was out of my league. He was handsome, generous, considerate, and hard-working. All the things a woman desires in a man. I was still musing on what we should do this evening when a knock came on the door. I got up slowly and went to open it. I wasn't expecting anyone since the locksmith had already been here.

I opened the door and found myself staring in Elmer's face. I was too stunned to say anything as he shoved an envelope towards me. I didn't notice Ethan was walking up to stand next to me. Elmer gave a wicked little smile.

"Glad to you see you came home and left that little turd behind. You had your chance to come back to me and you decided not to. This is the final installment on what you own me. I consider you ending our engagement a breach of a social contract between us and expect you to pay your fair share for the travel expenses. If you don't agree I think you should consider finding a lawyer."

I took the envelope while watching Elmer's face. I saw the smile fade, replaced by a look of fear as it blanched white, his eyes growing wide.

"You spineless, arrogant bastard. You have the gall to come back after taking things that don't belong to you and want Becky to pay for something else. Social contract my ass."

Ethan took the envelope from my hand and torn it in half and handed it back to Elmer. Who took it instinctively seemingly to protect himself.

"If I find any indication you're going to pursue this I'm going to hunt you down and we are going to do more than have a polite conversation. I'll have Becky file a complaint with the police department for harassment and seek a no contact order. That way if you so much as show your face near her again there will be a legal basis for what I need to do to protect her. Now get the hell out of here. I hope you're smart enough to understand this is the last straw."

I watched as Elmer quickly retreated down the sidewalk to his car, got in and drove off without a backward glance. I turned towards Ethan and felt his arms come around me. I had never in my life had a man stand so resolutely to protect me. Now I knew he cared more for me than he had shown. At least I thought that was what it was. I felt a shiver run down my spine. Elmer could have forced his way inside and there was no way of knowing what he might have done had I been alone.

"Becky would you mind if I stayed the night. I'd feel better knowing you aren't here alone tonight."

"I would like that. I'd feel safer if you did. I shouldn't have opened the door without knowing who was there. That won't happen again."

We went back and sat down on the sofa and I leaned into Ethan. What had I gotten myself into when I attached myself to Elmer? A man that was more despicable then anyone I had ever met before and I hadn't recognized it. I had fallen in love with a man that not only took me for granted, but degraded my self-confidence, negatively affected my career, and left me with few friends other than his own. I had been a complete love blind fool.

That night we went to bed and Ethan held me and we kissed a few times. Mostly he held and caressed me and asked if I was alright. I had no interest in doing more and it seemed Ethan understood that. That night as his hand came to hold me close I took it and placed it upon my breast. His fingers spread to hold it gently and I drifted off to sleep. The next morning he got up early and left for his apartment to take a shower and change into a fresh set of clothes for work. Just before he walked out the door he turned to me.

"I'll be gone the rest of the week and will probably be back on Saturday. Please be careful."

He gave me a quick kiss and was gone. I returned to bed and closed my eyes. Two men- one I loathed and the other I felt a great deal of affection for. But a terrible thought intruded- was Ethan only trying to be a good friend and protect me not only from Elmer, but from myself? I had lured him to my side and it had seemed ridiculously easy. Suggesting I would seek another man for pleasure when I would not have. I had deceived him. Now I wondered if I had deceived myself into believing he was something he was not. 

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It was now a week since I had last seen Ethan. Though he had called me twice during the week to see if things were going well. Both times we talked for almost half an hour as I told him about the problems I was encountering at work and how I intended to fix them. He told me about what he and the other state biologists had done to protect the beach nesting birds at several locations. He asked each time if Elmer had made an attempt to see me or contact me in any way and I was happy to report he hadn't. I was convinced Elmer was afraid to harass me after what Ethan had told him.

My first day at work had been informative as I worked with the woman that had replaced me. It became clear after half a day she was leaving because things were a mess and Margaret was unhappy with the changes she had made. She outlined for me what she had done and it quickly became apparent there were significant gaps in her knowledge about the testing process in several key program areas relating to our largest clients. The next day I took the time to sit down with each supervisor for those programs, giving them an opportunity to explain from their perspective where the problem lay. I had worked for almost three years with them so they didn't pull any punches in being honest in their explanations.

The days went quickly and I continued to fact check and review testing protocols and examined correspondence with our customers. I called clients to renew old friendships and become familiar with those I had not worked with before.

Each night I arrived home to my apartment, fixed dinner, and tried to entertain myself by calling friends I had not seen in a long while. It was exciting to hear good news about their activities. I realized how much I had missed by cutting ties with my own friends while accepting Elmer's in their stead.

Friday arrived and I decided to take time to buy groceries. I was walking down the bread aisle with my shopping list in hand when I found Sally directly in front of me. I felt my stomach churn as I fought to decide how I should respond as she looked at me with a smile.

"Becky. It's been a while. I stopped by to see you about two weeks ago and you weren't home. I just heard you and Elmer have broken up. I was surprised to hear it. Is it true?"

"Yes it's true." I replied evenly.

It appeared she really didn't know I had seen her with Elmer and that she had set everything in motion. I wanted to hate her but found I couldn't bring myself to feel that way. In a way she had been the catalyst for giving me my life back.

"I also heard you were with a guy named Ethan. Isn't he the one that used to come to the parties?"

"Sally where are you hearing all of this from?"

"I've been seeing a friend of Elmer's and last night we... well... we were having a good time if you know what I mean. Afterwards we were sitting in bed talking. That's when I heard about the breakup."

I winched inside, hoping my face didn't show it. Same old slut she had been since Elmer introduced us. It wasn't a characterization I had used before. I knew she had laid with at least ten men at our parties over a few months. I smiled.

"Well it's been nice to see you. I have to finish my shopping and get back home to get some chores done."

"Take care." She offered.

I walked down the aisle feeling like being near any of Elmer's friends again was a punch in the gut. Ethan was right. Neither one of us had really fit into that crowd. It was then I felt it again, a tinge of longing to hear his voice. I went home and put the groceries away. I hadn't heard from Ethan by the time I went to bed. I had been thinking most of the day I might hear from him before he came home tomorrow. Maybe he was out of cell phone range. I knew I was trying to put the best face on the situation I could.

I took my early morning jog, got home and showered. I spent the day puttering around the house, made up a few dishes to eat off of for the week, and read. The day wore on and by six o'clock I felt restless. There had been no phone call from Ethan. I waited until eight and then decided I needed to get out of the apartment for a while and grabbed my cell phone. I walked a few blocks to a small restaurant and sat down with a glass of wine and a fruit salad. I was almost through my wine when a guy walked up to me from behind.

"Hey good lookin. Would you like some company?"

I looked up with a smile and immediately decided I didn't want his company. It was one of Elmer's lawyer friends.

"Not really Lyle, I was just getting ready to leave." Taking the last swallow of wine to drive the point home.

"No need to be in a rush. I could treat you to another drink."

"No thanks. I really should get going."

"I heard you and Elmer broke up. I was thinking you might want some company. You know some action now that you're on your own again."

I looked up at him without smiling. "Action?"

"Becky you're a knockout. After a few drinks I could take you back to my apartment and we could have some fun. You know what I mean. After all you're not getting any right now."

I gave him a hard stare. "I don't need 'any' right now from you or from anyone else."

I knew it wasn't true. I wanted Ethan to hold and kiss me and more if he wanted me.

I got up and left Lyle standing there. He made me feel cheap- like I was Sally. Just a slut that had been used by one man and was ready for another. I cringed at the thought I had been connected with that kind of crowd and was viewed that way.